There’s a lot to be said for taking your time and getting the job done right but I do feel like lots of people, myself included, can be in danger of taking this a little bit too far. Some times we work at a positively leisurely pace, which means we end up not getting enough work done, which results in staying back well after we should have left the office. This leads to skipping gym sessions, eating unhealthy but quick and easy food and cancelling important social plans which could have been avoided if we had just worked efficiently in the first place. Here’s how to work harder and faster… and consequently get more shit done.
Oh also this post is live instead of an Indonesia update because for some reason my computer loaded all my photos in upside down and wanted to take half an hour to turn each one up the right way again. So if you’re waiting for a Indonesia update, you’ll be waiting until the internet gremlins calm their farm. Little bastards.
Pretend that your day finishes at lunch time
Time is like money. If you have a lot, you tend to spend a lot. Why not drastically limit the amount of time you have to complete your tasks? If you have the time, you’ll naturally fill it. Give yourself a deadline of lunchtime to get everything done and book something else in so you don’t have a choice but to get your work done. I do this on weekends when I have big posts to shoot. I’ll book in dinner with a friend so I have to limit how much time I have to spend on the task. Give yourself a hard deadline so you can’t break it. You’ll plough through your work, guaranteed.
Give yourself a 2 minute decision making deadline
Decisions should take 2 minutes at an absolute maximum. Deciding on what colour shoes to buy, choosing what restaurant to eat at, booking a hotel for your weekend away – you’ve now got 2 minutes to decide. Just make a decision and go with it. A weekend away is not going to be any better because you spent four days researching accommodation. Google it, pick a place with a good rating and book the damn thing. Same goes with lunch. Wandering around for 15 minutes trying to figure out what you feel like for lunch is a total waste of time. Make a decision and eat the food. Boom. Same goes with trying to figure out what to make for dinner or what to wear to that party. It’s not going to be the last dinner you ever have and it won’t be the last party either. Just get on with it. 2 minute decisions. Go.
Focus only on today
Have you seen Rent? There’s an amazingly cheesy song in it that I love called No Day But Today and I love it because it’s accidentally very poignant. There is literally no day but today. It’s an incredibly simplistic song about dying of aids but the lyrics totally support my point. It’s always today because by the time tomorrow rocks up it’s today again… do you see what I mean? The only day you have is this one so don’t be freaking out about tomorrow, next week, next month, next year. Focus on what needs doing today and do that. If you work the hardest you can, in the shortest amount of time, you will always have time to do something awesome in the day. Guaranteed.
Also today is podcast day! Here’s today’s episode…
Do you struggle keeping up momentum when you’re working? Are you guilty of sometimes not working to your full capacity?